Excuse my ignorance but ?

coco

Active Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2018
Messages
456
Reaction score
763
Location
Scotland
Getting close to buying a car at the moment and wanted to ask if there is any issue with running modern unleaded petrol (gas) in a 68 Imperial engine. If yes, should I use a fuel additive, which one? if not then all good. If any UK members are reading this, where is the best online UK stockist for engine service consumables? and finally any recommendations for Oil ? Should I use modern synthetic types like castrol GTX magnatec or something else?

Maybe I should have thought to ask about of all this before :realcrazy::rolleyes: and maybe its been asked before too :BangHead: sorry !

Got a body tag of the car to decipher and had a go myself, seems to tally with the car, but not sure what all the top numbers are about ( below the lower case alphabet and below the capital alphabet)? I can see the paint, engine, body, colour, interior type/colour, when/where it was made.

Here is a pic of it

Big thanks to detmatt for his advice and help behind the scenes :thumbsup:

tveiT-wLfvcjpJL34y16.jpg
 
You can run pump gas, I always put the high octane 91 or 93 here in the states and run 1oz of marine 2 cycle oil(with TC-W3) per every 5 gallons of gas in the tank to help deal with the ethanol in todays pump gas. Maybe in Scotland you have non ethanol fuel available, this would be ideal. As far as oil I run Penngrade.
Don’t run synthetic.
 
Some may disagree but I add some lead additive to the fuel a few times a year in addition to using higher octane fuel.

As for oil, you need to either use a ZDDP additive or buy an oil like Penn Grade that has it in it and it is also a semi-synthetic, which was recommended to me by an engine builder and master mechanic.
 
The numbers below the letters are all individual options such as power windows etc. and it does have the sure grip.:thumbsup:
 
Thanks guys, limited slip differential as I've just discovered its also known as., good news. Oil brands here probably different, so will look into that, been a long long time since I bought any, been driving modern cars too long.... and let a garage do all the dirty stuff :eek:
 
Some way to go with the purchase still, it's in another country and the complex transport and export paperwork may scupper the deal but fingers crossed it comes off.
 
Some way to go with the purchase still, it's in another country and the complex transport and export paperwork may scupper the deal but fingers crossed it comes off.
If you're using an experienced company to transport your car, have no concerns, I brought my cars over to Christchurch from Adelaide with no difficulty, leaving it to the experts is the way to go. Good luck with your car.
 
Some way to go with the purchase still, it's in another country and the complex transport and export paperwork may scupper the deal but fingers crossed it comes off.
Hope it works out for you
 
Thanks for the advice and replies ! some of the quotes are half the value of the car ! so they're a no go. Getting prices for container shipping port to port at the mo. Not giving up yet....
 
Thanks for the link Kevin, expecting some prices tomorrow for container shipping, think they will be much the same cost no matter who you use. Shame there are no car ferries from any Scandinavian countries to the UK now.

I'm just outside City of Glasgow( nicer people than the Edinburgh lot ha ha ) If you need any help/advice with anything just drop me a private message and I'll do my best.
 
Thanks for the link Kevin, expecting some prices tomorrow for container shipping, think they will be much the same cost no matter who you use. Shame there are no car ferries from any Scandinavian countries to the UK now.

I'm just outside City of Glasgow( nicer people than the Edinburgh lot ha ha ) If you need any help/advice with anything just drop me a private message and I'll do my best.

If you've ever seen the way they handle containers at a port, you might want to rethink that option.

What part of the world is the car in now? Wallenius sails into Liverpool. Looks close on the map. Lol

Kevin
 
The car is in Sweden not the US Kevin, so much complication in driving it back I simply cannot do it, 6 different countries to navigate through, rules different in every one ! I can't even drive in in the UK till it has been given registration plates, so will need to trailer it back or have a garage with "trade plates" drive it from the docks location to my home. At the moment buying is so near but yet so far. Think seller will be getting cold feet dealing with a foreigner as a lot of work for him too.

Liverpool is about 300 miles from me, port of entry, I hope, is only 30, if the container shipping I've asked for works out! Buying from the USA is cheaper and easier, cant believe that, given we are, at the moment, members of the EU. :BangHead::(
 
The car is in Sweden not the US Kevin, so much complication in driving it back I simply cannot do it, 6 different countries to navigate through, rules different in every one ! I can't even drive in in the UK till it has been given registration plates, so will need to trailer it back or have a garage with "trade plates" drive it from the docks location to my home. At the moment buying is so near but yet so far. Think seller will be getting cold feet dealing with a foreigner as a lot of work for him too.

Liverpool is about 300 miles from me, port of entry, I hope, is only 30, if the container shipping I've asked for works out! Buying from the USA is cheaper and easier, cant believe that, given we are, at the moment, members of the EU. :BangHead::(

I looked up Stockholm to your part of the world by road. Lol you can't get there from here easily. Trailering it yourself or rent a flatbed truck possible or financially feasible?

Kevin
 
You will want to run 91 octane or higher in your Imperial. They had 10:1 compression and were intended for US “premium” fuel.

It will run fine on unleaded, as it’s the octane requirement that is important (along with the ethanol) to how well it runs. The lead lubricated or cushioned the valves. If the heads have ever been rebuilt, they likely have hardened seats. If not, you may see accelerated wear on valve seats.
 
@coco

We use Gulf Classic across Baltic Sea in the (79) 360 LA and the (67) 440 RB. It´s mineral-based oil packaged in nice blue/white metal cans and it includes zinc additive.
 
Back
Top